1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates in general to the field of military activities involving the determination and coordination of target location information with various weapons delivery systems, and in particular to the field of target locator systems which accurately and automatically provide set of location coordinates for a selected target. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to such target locator systems which are capable of being transported and utilized by an individual combatant.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Most prior art weapon systems may only be operated effectively when the location of the target for the weapon system is known in some coordinate system, such as latitude, longitude, and elevation above sea level. Land or sea based artillery will typically utilize target coordinates which are relative to the position of the artillery for accurate trajectory calculations and fire adjustments. Cruise missiles and other types of standoff weapons generally navigate to a predetermined target coordinate set which is stored in the weapon system memory. Tactical aircraft which are equipped with modern navigation and weapons delivery systems can typically deliver an unguided weapon to within fifty feet of a target, if the coordinates of the target are known prior to weapon delivery.
In such situations, if the target is a fixed object, such as a building or a bridge, providing target coordinate data to a weapons delivery system is a relatively simple matter. Fixed target locations are readily determined from maps, surveying, aircraft or satellite reconnaissance or other intelligence sources. However, the rapid and accurate determination of the coordinates of a non-fixed target is not a trivial matter. No system currently in service can accurately determine the coordinates of a non-fixed target and rapidly transmit those coordinates directly to a weapons delivery system or a weapons controlling organization in a timely manner. This problem is aggravated by the fact that mobile targets are the targets most often encountered by troops in a dynamic tactical environment, such as a battle front
The various branches of the United States military services have attempted to solve this problem by employing several systems which aid in the location or designation of targets in a dynamic tactical environment. These prior art systems typically involve teams of observers who utilize specially equipped land vehicles, aircraft or cumbersome portable systems to either determine target location information and communicate it to weapons delivery system operators or to designate a target by laser illumination for special laser-homing weapons delivery systems. Despite these advances, many observer teams are still equipped with maps, compasses, and voice radios. These observer teams use visual range estimation and triangulation techniques to locate targets. This information is then typically transmitted to the weapons delivery system operators via voice radio.
All of these known target locator systems have one or more of the following deficiencies: the observer unit typically will not know its precise location and subsequently the target location data will be inaccurate; non-timely communication directly with the weapons system operators; and vulnerability and lack of mobility of the observer team due to system size or operating limitations. Additionally, no prior art system is fully integrated into a compact unit which may be utilized to determine precise target coordinates and then transmit that data in a format which may be utilized directly by a weapons delivery system or a weapons controlling organization.
For example, known systems exist which designate or illuminate a target for a prolonged period of time with a laser so that specialized weapons systems may home in on the laser energy scattered off the target. These systems have several disadvantages associated therewith. Firstly, there must be a sufficient coordination between the observer units and the weapons delivery system operators well in advance of any operation. Secondly, the weapons delivery system must be equipped with the specialized laser-homing ordinance, and thirdly, the observer teams must be advised to begin illuminating a target just before the ordinance is to be employed. Additionally, the observer teams utilizing this system are placed at greater risk of being located by the enemy since they must illuminate the target for a prolonged period of time from a fixed location.
Most problems associated with current target locator systems are compounded for the typical situation wherein tactical aircraft, equipped with unguided ordinance, are being utilized for Close Air Support (CAS) operations, where friendly forces are in proximate contact with the enemy forces. Target location data provided to these aircraft may typically be as recent as ten minutes old or twenty-four hours old before it is acted upon. Additionally, this information is typically received by voice radio in the form of target briefings. The potential ineffectiveness of conducting Close Air Support operations while utilizing such methods is obvious, especially when the intended targets are mobile and the ordinance employed is not "smart." This situation typically forces a pilot to locate targets visually near the last known target coordinate set and make the appropriate corrections during his attack run. This technique may cause the pilot to remain exposed over a target area for a prolonged period of time searching for the target, thereby increasing his vulnerability to surface to air threats. Additionally, the potential for fratricide or ineffectiveness due to uncertainty become substantially greater.
It should therefore be apparent that there exists a need for a target locator system which can provide real time, updated and accurate target coordinate data directly to various weapons delivery systems to increase their effectiveness in a dynamic tactical environment.